Agnes Tachyon frowned. Something about this was not simple.
With that overdeveloped brain of hers, she immediately noticed all sorts of little details ordinary horse girls would have overlooked. The door had clearly been removed and put back in place before—that was why it had flown off so easily when it was hit. She also spotted a suspicious strand of hair lying on the carpet beside the wardrobe.
But because Norn Ace was already creeping toward the wardrobe with a face full of suspicion, Tachyon said nothing. She simply folded her arms and watched Norn's approaching hand with the air of someone enjoying a show. She could already picture the horse girl inside dying of embarrassment on the spot.
So someone had tried to beat her to the punch and launch a horseplay offensive first? In that case, she very much wanted to see exactly who it was.
Inside the wardrobe, Secretariat could not see what was happening outside, but that did not stop her body from heating up or her heart from racing.
Moments like this were the worst. The less you knew about the actual situation, the scarier it felt.1GaL2
Fortunately, Secretariat got lucky.
Just as Norn Ace came within half a meter of the wardrobe, voices suddenly came from the doorway.
"Hm? What are you all doing?"
Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo had arrived together.
They knew Xingyun Liuge would be flying to England the next day, so after some discussion, they had mobilized their family connections and decided to give her a night she would never forget.1GaL2
What they had not expected was for this presidential suite to be packed with so many people.
Were they seriously having some kind of music party in here? After all, Xingyun Liuge genuinely loved singing, and she was incredibly good at it too.
After hearing about what had happened to Xingyun, Goodbye Halo nodded seriously.
"Then you really should give the room a thorough check."
Then she changed the subject.
"But now that something like this has happened, staying in an ordinary hotel doesn't seem safe anymore. Why not just come to my place? My house is pretty big, and if you get tired you can just stay the night."
Her tail wagged excitedly. While the Halo family could not compare to the grand old racing dynasties, and certainly stood below Triple Crown families in status, it was still useful enough to come through at a moment like this.1GaL2
All at once, every horse girl's gaze zeroed in on her chest.
One look was enough.
Enemy confirmed.
Other than Norn Ace, Daiwa Scarlet, and Xingyun Liuge herself, every horse girl in the room was on the flatter side. Goodbye Halo, meanwhile, had dramatic curves that rose and fell like terrain all their own. It was difficult not to feel competitive.
And precisely because the gap was so large, they were even more afraid that Xingyun Liuge might be stolen away by this horse girl.
Norn Ace no longer had any interest in checking the wardrobe. Compared to that, the enemy right in front of her seemed far more dangerous.1GaL2
That gentle smile. That outrageously full chest. That invitation, timed almost too perfectly...
She was seriously beginning to suspect that the whole earlier incident had been staged by Goodbye Halo from the start, just to give her a legitimate excuse to invite Xingyun away.
And now that things had developed to this point, they did not even have a good reason to refuse.
Tachyon knitted her brows tightly. She had realized the severity of the situation too. If the wardrobe really did contain someone, then they would have to accept Goodbye Halo's invitation. Goodbye Halo was already fairly close with Xingyun—if this kept up, she might really succeed!
Tachyon and Fujimasa March spoke at the exact same time.
"There's no need."1GaL2
The reasoning they offered was a little strained: the intruder had clearly been one of Xingyun Liuge's fans, and a fan like that would obviously have searched every corner of the room. If there really had been someone hiding in the wardrobe, she would have dealt with them first, and she would certainly have mentioned it before leaving.
Since there were no signs of a struggle in the room, and since the fleeing horse girl had not said anything about the wardrobe on her way out, then logically, the wardrobe had to be safe.
Tachyon then declared with an expression full of self-assurance and pride, "Whether we check or not doesn't matter. Besides, as long as all of us stay together in this room, no one will be able to threaten Miss Xingyun."
She looked so confident saying it that it was oddly persuasive.
Goodbye Halo found it regrettable, but since things had been said so plainly—and since Xingyun Liuge herself had not objected—there was nothing more to be done.
So instead, the evening moved straight into its unforgettable centerpiece.
Soon, a golden chrysanthemum burst open in the night sky, as dazzling as a sun blooming overhead. Its crackling pops announced that the performance had begun.
A farewell?
Yes, that naturally invited sadness. It made people reluctant to part. But Xingyun Liuge was heading to England to forge a glorious future.1GaL2
If they truly considered her a friend, then this was not the time for tearful sobbing and heart-wrenching partings.
This was the time to send her off in the loudest, brightest, most dazzling way possible—and offer their most sincere blessings to the girl who was about to set off on a long journey.
In the next second, the night itself seemed to split apart.
A blazing white meteor screamed into the tranquil sky and detonated high above.
This one did not bloom like a flower. Instead, it scattered into a shower of golden droplets, each trailing a long tail of light as it fell, together spelling Xingyun Liuge's name across the sky.1GaL2
The message from the two girls could not have been clearer:
Nobody go to sleep. Get up and party.
Tonight was the night a new queen had been crowned.
Then came the third shell, the fourth, and more after that—bursts of different colors racing one another into the heavens, as if determined to brand the entire firmament with the mark of their friendship.
Lightfalls burned in the girls' eyes, flowed, went dark, and were reignited all over again.
The immense thunder of the fireworks swallowed any words of sorrow that might have existed, leaving behind only the rawest forms of wonder and cheering.
When had the girls from Kasamatsu ever seen something on this scale?
The dazzling firework light cast shocking shadows across their faces, making them shout that it was incredible, jump for joy, and even burst into tears.1GaL2
Winning Colors explained on her own initiative, "I heard that Japan always has fireworks festivals in the summer, so I suggested the idea to Goodbye Halo. Turns out she'd been thinking the same thing."
Goodbye Halo grinned.
"That's what you call being on the same wavelength."
She proudly puffed out her chest, and the full, bouncing swell there instantly drew Xingyun Liuge's gaze.
Mini Lady poked Southern Starlet's cheek with a mischievous grin.
"You're crying again. What a little crybaby."1GaL2
Called out like that, Southern Starlet hurriedly wiped away her tears and lunged to cover Mini Lady's mouth, but laughter still spilled through the gaps between her fingers.
The girl at the center of it all—the one preparing to depart—said nothing.
She simply stood there smiling at her companions, silently watching each firework bloom and fade.
The shifting brilliance lit her face in alternating flashes, sometimes illuminating features as calm and gentle as an angel's, sometimes giving the unusual starlight in her eyes the darkness it needed to shine.1GaL2
The girls could almost feel the slight trembling coming up through the ground beneath their feet.
That was the vibration of the firework tubes. The roar of the building itself. Proof that their friendship had been engraved into this place forever.
Inside the wardrobe, Secretariat also thought the two girls' idea was excellent.
But even so, she could not stop herself from muttering:
"Why are they watching from inside the room? Go outside and enjoy it already..."
If the girls did not leave the room, how was she supposed to get out?
Was she really supposed to stay hidden until Xingyun Liuge checked out of the hotel?
No one knew how long it lasted, but eventually that vast, almost never-ending fireworks display came to an end.1GaL2
Darkness reclaimed the sky once more.
A heavy silence suddenly descended, leaving only the sharp scent of gunpowder as proof that such an extravagant farewell had just taken place.
Xingyun Liuge drew in a deep breath of the smoke-filled air, as though she wanted to burn that singular scent into her memory forever.
Then she turned to her friends.
Her eyes shone brilliantly, as if every firework that had filled the sky had fallen into them and was still burning there for eternity.
But before Xingyun could say anything, Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo stepped forward together, one on either side, slinging their arms around her shoulders.
Their voices were bright with laughter and the excitement that still had not faded.
"Xingyun, this is the shining road we've laid out for you. Cross the Atlantic, and go conquer Britain's turf."1GaL2
There were no attempts to keep her from going, and no formal words of farewell either.
The fireworks had already said everything for them.
That thunderous roar that shook the clouds had been friendship crying out.
That brilliance lighting the night sky had become the anchor of their memories.
And those slowly falling embers...
They would remain in the girls' memories forever, shining on and never fading, no matter how far apart they might one day be.
This farewell had always been inevitable, because horse girls would always travel far away in pursuit of glory and brilliance.
So there was no need for tears and dramatic partings.
At least for tonight, they had already launched their friendship to a height that would last forever—with a grand fireworks display worthy of the moment.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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